In this week’s shorter and messy vulnerable episode I wanted to delete, I share what my husband’s recent trip to film the Leadville 100 in Colorado stirred in me about the Christian life. 

This week held so much weight for our family. Emma turned sixteen—the same age I was when I had her—and on the very day I recorded this, Justice officially adopted her. A moment of redemption and joy right in the middle of a season where we’ve felt tired, stretched thin, and in the midst of spiritual warfare.

Just like those runners at Leadville, I’ve seen the beauty of the Body of Christ come alongside us—through disciplers, pastors, and friends who’ve carried us when we felt weak. Our surrender sale is only days away, and our move is less than two weeks out. 

Life feels messy and exhausting, but I wanted to share this word of encouragement in real time, even if it isn’t polished.

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In this week’s real-time “audio vlog,” I share the big and small moments marking our final weeks in Texas before uprooting our family and moving to Pennsylvania. It’s not pre-planned or polished — I jotted a few bullet points, but otherwise, consider it a coffee date with me… only I’m the one doing all the talking.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How I got to meet the new owner of our home in person — and why it felt like such a personal kindness from the Lord.
• A wild, God-orchestrated story connecting us to our future landlord in Pennsylvania — a story so specific it could only be His doing.
• The childhood Bible I found while cleaning and packing from my 7th birthday, complete with a note from my dad — and how it reminded me that seeds we plant in our children’s lives matter, even if the harvest takes decades.
• The old Kia Telluride key I stumbled across — a symbol of one of the first quiet surrenders God asked of me before Valor’s death, and how He was already pruning and preparing me for bigger surrenders ahead.
• A short reflection on Acts, where Paul’s testimony didn’t convince the leaders… but the centurions and soldiers within earshot believed — a reminder that God may use us to reach people we never expected.
• My honest wrestle with the overwhelm, fear, sadness, and spiritual warfare that have surfaced as we walk in obedience.
• Church notes on Luke 9:23–27 about what it truly means to follow Jesus.- a scrappy version of what I learned from the sermon on Sunday.

If you’re in a season of surrender, wondering what God is doing with the seeds you’ve sown or the losses you’ve endured, I pray this episode encourages you to trust the One who goes before you.

Links & Ways to Support:

• 🌿 Buy Me a Coffee → https://buymeacoffee.com/mikayladawt
• 📝 Substack → https://mikayladawnchaparro.substack.com/
• 🌐 Website → https://www.mikayladawn.com
• 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/mikayladawnchaparro/

This is the episode that makes sense of everything to come.

We just sold our home in Texas. We’re about to sell everything we own and move to Pennsylvania without a clue what we’re doing. But this? This is the story behind the story.

Inside this foundational episode, I share: 

— The loss of our son, Valor 

— The journey through grief, pruning, and surrender 

— The real-time steps of walking with God into unknown places 

— The moments that have begun shaping me into a woman of valor

This is raw. This is unfiltered. This is the honest beginning of what I pray becomes a lifeline for others standing on the edge of their own “what now?”

📖 Scripture: John 15 — The Vine. The pruning. The abiding. The fruit to come.

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